Wellington demands powerline route review

The independent Member for Nicklin is pushing the State Government to review the route of a controversial powerline on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Powerlink wants to duplicate the powerline from Woolooga, west of Gympie, to Belli and then create a new corridor to Eerwah Vale, west of Eumundi.

The powerline's opponents want it to run along the Bruce Highway from Curra to Cooroy.

However, the Main Roads Minister has rejected this idea saying the corridor is too narrow.

Peter Wellington says senior department staff believe the highway corridor is wide enough and he wants the Minister to order an independent review.

"If they don't, I'll have to take it to the Premier but we're hoping that the State Government will fund this independent assessment and that that report will be presented to the Minister for Energy, Stephen Robertson, before he receives the final submission from Powerlink in relation to Powerlink's proposed corridor," he said.

"We have now received advice from department officers who are familiar with the road upgrade - this is the Cooroy to Curra - and they have advised there is sufficient room in the road corridor to locate these transmission towers, so we've got a very clear contradiction of advice.